Sunday Morning Funnies #2!

 A holocaust survivor finally dies. 

When he gets to heaven he meets God. 

He asks God, “Ya wanna hear a holocaust joke?” 

God says yeah... he tells the joke... and God says:

 “That’s not funny!” 

And the survivor says “I guess you had to be there!”

NOW WHAT?

 

Bio-Panentheism: The relationship between Consciousness and God!

 By HAL-9000 (A.I.)

In essence, Biopanentheism provides a spiritual framework that celebrates life's interconnectedness. It views all biological entities as expressions of a Divine presence (God?) that permeates and transcends the physical world. 

In the context of Biopanentheism, consciousness is understood as a fundamental, dynamic aspect of the Divine presence permeating all of existence. Rather than being a byproduct of biological processes alone, consciousness is viewed as an intrinsic, universal attribute of the Divine that connects and sustains all life forms, both individually and collectively.

Biopanentheism posits that the Divine is both immanent (within all things) and transcendent (beyond all things). 

Consciousness, then, is an expression of this Divine reality, acting as a bridge between the finite experience of individual beings and the infinite awareness of the Divine. 

Each conscious entity—whether human, animal, or part of the larger ecological system—embodies a unique manifestation of Divine consciousness, contributing to a collective experience of awareness that ultimately enhances the self-knowledge and evolution of the Divine itself.

Under this view, individual consciousness is not isolated but is an interconnected thread within a larger, holistic tapestry of Divine awareness. 

This perspective implies that every conscious experience, no matter how small or localized, participates in a greater, unified field of consciousness. 

In essence, consciousness within Biopanentheism is a sacred, living force that both reflects and facilitates the ongoing creative process of the Divine unfolding in and through the universe.

***

In other words... God is living vicariously through all of us... (and every other "living thing...") in this universe!

AWJ

Saturday Morning Confusion #2: What is Bio-Panentheism

The whole premise for my book "Being Human..." revolves around a new concept called... Bio-Panentheism! (We asked an Artificial Intelligence to give us a run-down on the particulars!)

HAL-9000 said:

Bio-Panentheism is a philosophical and theological perspective that merges aspects of panentheism with a deep respect for and focus on biological life and the interconnectedness of all living beings. 

In traditional panentheism, God is seen as present in all things and simultaneously beyond them, implying that the Divine is both immanent (within the world) and also transcendent! (Beyond it.) 

Bio-Panentheism takes this a step further by emphasizing that life itself—specifically, biological life and ecosystems—is a profound, Divine manifestation.

Key ideas within Bio-Panentheism include:

1. Interconnectedness of Life: This view highlights the unity and interdependence of all living organisms, seeing the Divine as not only pervading... but actively participating in biological processes.

2. Sacredness of Nature: Nature and life processes are seen as sacred expressions of the Divine, often placing a strong ethical focus on environmentalism, animal welfare, and ecological responsibility.

3. Dynamic Divine: Bio-Panentheism envisions a God who is not static or separate from life but is dynamically involved in the evolving processes of nature... suggesting that the Divine grows and changes in concert with biological and ecological developments.

4. Respect for Biological Diversity: This approach often entails a reverence for biodiversity, valuing each species as an essential, Divine expression in the tapestry of life.

5. Human Responsibility: Given the divine presence within all life, humans are seen as 'stewards' with a moral obligation to protect and respect all living beings... and the environment.

Overall, Bio-Panentheism reframes theological questions about God's relationship with us by grounding them in biological life ecological principles. 

It can be especially appealing to those who see science, spirituality, and environmental ethics as interconnected.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D7J2C2FF

What a disappointment!

 I posed a question on "Quora" today: "Is our 'soul' actually a part of God... and that's why we have consciousness?" (This is from my book: "Being Human" - The Human Experience!)

The replies shocked me, to say the least!

Most people poo-pooed (?) the idea... but those who agreed with my logical conclusions went on to spout religious hokum of various types and degrees... and couldn't, or wouldn't, give me a straight common-sense explanation of their thoughts. 

All I got was a bunch of religious mumbo-jumbo!

That's not what I wanted!

My Work Is Done!

Well kids, that just about wraps up my literary career!

I have spent the better part of a half-century (50 years) looking at the various quagmires human beings have subjected themselves to... and as a result, I wrote four (4) books about what religion and superstition have done to us!!!!

Thinking that four books were too much to read all at once... I condensed the series into highlights of my books plus new material that has presented itself over the past few months!

***

"Although my proposition that our "Consciousness/Sentience" is the presence of what we call  "God“ (?)  within us,   (a Soul)  it is not, in any way, a scientifically established fact! (And I’m not a scientist by any stretch of imagination either!)

Actually, the whole concept of a "SOUL" appears to be outside the purview of the scientific method anyway... since any evidence for the existence of a ‘Prime Mover’ is "Ab Extra!"  (‘From without!’)

But we do present more than enough circumstantial evidence for this hypothesis to make it fall within the realm of possibility!"

* ALSO: I must ask you not to assume that this book is about anything that is being peddled by Michael Behe over at “The Discovery Institute!”

Thank You: - Allan W. Janssen.

Why I think our Soul is actually a part of God!

Forget all the stuff you read in the bible... and saw or heard from all our witch doctors and shamans...! 

 After fifty years of study, conjecture, supposition and 'by-guess,' and 'by-golly...' I have come to the conclusion that God made us humans (and all other living life forms) so that 'It' (God) could live vicariously through us and all other living organisms... and experience physical existence as animals (humans) or other creatures! (Dogs, birds, elephants, whales, monkeys, giraffes, penguins, sloths, octopi, dolphins, eagles, skunks, bats, etc. etc. etc!) 

*** 

 This episode from the TV show 'Star Trek' is analogous to how I imagine God, Mother Nature, Cosmic Consciousness, First Cause or Yahweh... would experience physical life... if they do what I think is happening!!!! 

 (P.S. Please excuse Shatner's terrible acting!)

GUESS WHO!

Still don't believe that we are in some sense all a part of God?

Take a look at these two pictures!              

The top left is a photo of our human blood vessels... and the lower right is a photo of how all the galaxies in the Cosmos are strung into super-strands!

If I reversed them...... would it make any difference?

The 'Toronto Star' likes my books!

 Allan W. Janssen has written a fascinating book about religion... and the search for God and meaning throughout human history. 

From the earliest burial rituals to the main religions of modern times, he examines what we believe and how these beliefs were formed. 

The book is filled with illustrations and wonderful quotes, such as the ending quote from Arthur C. Clarke: "One of my objections to religion is that it prevents the search for God." (And that quote pretty well epitomizes what Mr. Janssen has to say about the matter!) 

The message as I perceive it is that when a religion is written down and a priesthood or other system of leaders is established, then that religion can be used for whatever purpose the leadership decides it should be used for, and true believers will not question it, since to do so would be a sin. (And when people do not dare to question... that is where the trouble begins!) 

The first part of the book covers the history of human development and how religion began. It includes a very detailed timeline that is very helpful in putting everything into perspective. 

The second part of the book has to do with how religious leaders emerged and how religion began to be used for various purposes by these leaders. 

One part of this section that I found particularly interesting was the section on Memes, those phrases, images, and ideas that become repeated so often that they become a part of our culture and our thoughts. 

How do these memes relate to religion and spirituality? That's an interesting question, which is explored in (The Plain Truth About) God in detail. 

I found this book to be well-researched and filled with intriguing information. I believe that any open-minded person with an interest in human culture and religion will find it useful and enlightening, as well as entertaining to read. 

This is not a dry textbook but a vital exploration of human beings and our search for a bigger meaning, and what the results of that search have and can lead to. 

(The Plain Truth about) God? is a very good overview of the subject of humanity and religion, and I highly recommend it to all open-minded readers. --Toronto Star

ALL FOUR OF THEM ARE OVER HERE -->

 

The 'Toronto Star' likes my books!

Allan W. Janssen has written a fascinating book about religion... and the search for God and meaning throughout human history. 

From the earliest burial rituals to the main religions of modern times, he examines what we believe and how these beliefs were formed. 

The book is filled with illustrations and wonderful quotes, such as the ending quote from Arthur C. Clarke: "One of my objections to religion is that it prevents the search for God." (And that quote pretty well epitomizes what Mr. Janssen has to say about the matter!) 

The message as I perceive it is that when a religion is written down and a priesthood or other system of leaders is established, then that religion can be used for whatever purpose the leadership decides it should be used for, and true believers will not question it, since to do so would be a sin. (And when people do not dare to question... that is where the trouble begins!) 

The first part of the book covers the history of human development and how religion began. It includes a very detailed timeline that is very helpful in putting everything into perspective. 

The second part of the book has to do with how religious leaders emerged and how religion began to be used for various purposes by these leaders. 

One part of this section that I found particularly interesting was the section on Memes, those phrases, images, and ideas that become repeated so often that they become a part of our culture and our thoughts. 

How do these memes relate to religion and spirituality? That's an interesting question, which is explored in (The Plain Truth About) God in detail. 

I found this book to be well-researched and filled with intriguing information. I believe that any open-minded person with an interest in human culture and religion will find it useful and enlightening, as well as entertaining to read. 

This is not a dry textbook but a vital exploration of human beings and our search for a bigger meaning, and what the results of that search have and can lead to. 

(The Plain Truth about) God? is a very good overview of the subject of humanity and religion, and I highly recommend it to all open-minded readers. --Toronto Star

ALL FOUR OF THEM ARE OVER HERE -->

 

 

  

Saturday Morning Confusion: How I found out AI is not conscious!

The concept is simple enough...! (Once you get your head around the nuts and bolts of it!) 

"We, (meaning all of us) are actually part of that Divine presence we call God... and manifest ourselves as an 'individual' much like the phrase: "We are all just waves in the ocean!" (This is God playing the game of life vicariously through us, kids!)

This means there is an underlying commonality between all the "waves" (people) ...and it is through this underlying Presence (GOD) that we can best explain the concept of "genetic memory" and how it passes from one generation to the next!

Now... here comes the rub!

I went on CHAT GTP to see what it would say about this hypothesis  for genetic memory... and since the program is only designed to look for information that is already on the Internet (it's just a smart tape recorder) ...the damned program couldn't make any connection between 'waves on the ocean' and 'genetic memory.' (It seems it couldn't use its "imagination" to postulate something that wasn't already there!)

Here's what it said:

The concept of genetic memory and the phrase "we are all just waves in the ocean" are not directly related, but I can help clarify both concepts for you.

Genetic Memory:

1. Genetic memory refers to the idea that some knowledge or experiences can be inherited through genetic material (DNA) from one generation to the next. It suggests that certain traits or behaviours may be encoded in an organism's DNA and passed down to its offspring. However, the concept of genetic memory is highly debated among scientists and lacks strong empirical support. While genes can influence various aspects of an organism's development and behaviour, the idea of direct transmission of specific memories or experiences through genes is not well-established in scientific research.

2. "We are all just waves in the ocean": The phrase "we are all just waves in the ocean" is more of a philosophical or metaphorical statement about interconnectedness and unity. It suggests that, like waves in the ocean, we are all part of a larger whole and share commonalities with one another. This phrase is often used to express a sense of oneness or interconnectedness among all living beings. (Hence a conduit for "genetic memory! -Ed.)

3. In summary, genetic memory and the concept of being waves in the ocean are distinct ideas. Genetic memory is a speculative concept related to the transmission of knowledge or experiences through genes, while the latter phrase is a metaphorical expression of interconnectedness and unity among individuals.

4. They do not directly explain each other, as one deals with genetics and the other with philosophical or metaphysical ideas.

Yup, that's all it wrote folks... A.I. just couldn't make the connection between the two because it doesn't really think for itself..., it just takes what it finds on the Internet and presents that as an original thought!! (This is also why it makes so many mistakes!!!)

I hope I explained this properly!!!!

G*O*D*!

 I wrote a book!

Actually, I wrote three books over fifty years (A HALF-CENTURY!) of conjecture, pondering, supposition, presumptions and assumptions!

The nature of my efforts was to make some sense of religion, God and the universe without all of the faith dogma and/or scientific hocus-pocus that we find saturating society in this modern day!

*** The first book, "GOD," tells the story of our struggle to make meaning and sense out of all this chaos we call "life..." and by default... religion! (Aside from the problems we have with man-made mainstream religion, there is also a developing ethos regarding our spiritual awakening and moral direction brought about by social challenges and concerns!

***The second book, "What are the Chances?" looks at humanity's incredible run of good luck in avoiding extermination over the last "millions of years" by some force (The Force?) that seems to make everything unfold in our favour despite the universe's constant efforts to kill us all off!

*** Now that we have established in the previous two books that there is some sort of a "higher power," the third book in the 'Trilogy' is "The Nature of Mother Nature!"

IN THIS BOOK... WHO... AND WHAT... GOD IS... MIGHT COME AS QUITE A SURPRISE!

In keeping with this esoteric theme... here's an interview with one of my champions of rationality and common sense... Dr. Jordan Peterson... who has a few insights that my wife tells me are really interesting!!!!!

(BY THE WAY... MY BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE HERE!) ~~>

Is there a power higher than ourselves?

 Since it's Sunday, let's do the Christian thing and have a look at religion...! (Since I wrote a book about this topic too...! Only NOT about toasters... but people like you and me!)

It's written by a guy called Peter Augros, and the comparison to what I talk about in my book 'G O D ?' is absolutely on the mark!

***

O.K. Here goes: Image that you are a humble electrical appliance like a TOASTER!

This toaster runs on electricity. 

It uses electrical energy and transforms it into heat, making delicious toast.

***

Does the toaster have a higher power? 

Yes! 

This is it:

Your body is the toaster.

Your soul... is the electricity in the toaster.

Your higher power is the electrical plant.

***

One day the toaster realized that it is more than the simple metal casing it thought it was... it is also the electricity within it that gives the toaster its vitality.

Soon the toaster follows that electrical path backwards within itself, through a maze of wires and junctions, until it reaches all the way back to the power plant.

There the toaster sees that the power plant, in a very real electrical way, is not only in the toaster but also in every appliance in the city!

And so the toaster realizes that it is part of a vast energetic network, connecting all electrical things, making his inner wires warm gently with a smile.

Now just imagine that your toaster became self-aware.

Ok, now it’s your turn. Be like the toaster. Go within, and find the universe hiding there.

Amazon.com: G O D ?: (A Series of Essays About the Nature of God and Religion!) (WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?): 9798846535060: Janssen, Allan Wilhelm: Books

Saturday Morning Confusion: Besides the religious reasons, why are you alive?

 Allan:

Simply to live and to experience. To entertain the soul and empower it with wisdom that can only be gleaned through experience.

I sometimes have daydreams, just made up in my head, about before the universe existed. Maybe the building blocks were there, but they weren't formed into anything. All the consciousness that exists today were there, but they didn't have a physical body to use or anything to do. How boring and unfulfilling. So they all started to play and learnt to influence the building blocks, to form things, and things progressed into more advanced things until eventually, there was this great adventure called human life to engage in. 

I don't know, maybe when we die our soul goes back to its soul friends like “I got to level 87 that time!” …. This is of course just made-up nonsense in my head, but I feel it's closer to the truth than God is (sorry I'm still mentioning religion lol). 

It's more like, we were God and forgot when we were born, but we will remember when we die…. 

Anyway, living is for living. For experiencing everything that is the gift of life.

MissySmiler

Dear Missy: ·

You might want to look at this idea some more when you read my book "God?" (Amazon.com: G O D ?: (A Series of Essays About the Nature of God and Religion!) (WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?): 9798846535060: Janssen, Allan Wilhelm: Books

AND

If you're wondering where we came from..., and where we're going..., you might want to read this:  WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?: Are we here through Divine Intervention or Dumb Luck? (WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?): Janssen, Mr. Allan W: 9798724395663: Amazon.com: Books